For A Phantom, He Truly Was Quite Human
by beguiledbythephantom
Summary: A day in the life of the Phantom and Christine.


The first time I saw it he was sleeping. His mask and wig lay on the table near the bed. My eyes started on his face. In sleep he looked peaceful. Even the distorted area seemed less prominent and he had a slight smile on his lips. My eyes traveled down his body. The two first buttons of his white dress shirt were undone and the sleeves were rolled to his elbows. His black vest lay open and crumpled at his sides. I traveled lower. Oddly, his shirt remained tucked into his pants. A slight movement at the end of the bed caught my attention. He was only wearing one black sock on his left foot. His right leg was bent at the knee and tucked under his left leg but I could clearly see the pale skin on his right foot contrasting against the black of his pants. I silently made my way to him, ran a hand through his thin silver hair. He moved then, rolling onto his right side, facing me. His body tensed for a moment, as if the distorted side of his face was painful to lay on but he quickly readjusted the angle of his head and seem to fall into a deeper sleep. I turned to leave, not sure if he wanted to share his bed, when a hand caught my arm and from behind me I heard his sleepy angelic voice ask me to stay. I didn't voice an answer, simply walked around to the other side and climbed in. I saw him sit up slightly out of the corner of my eye and I turned in time to see him remove his vest and untuck his shirt, however he didn't remove his lone sock. As I situated myself under his large black blanket he wrapped his arm around my stomach and he pulled me against him. I quickly forgot about his sock as I greedily stole his body heat and burrowed myself into his warm body. By the time the sun was up he was gone. I normally woke alone when I stayed the night with him. He was always up early and off doing things in the opera, even on Sunday. I found a letter and a rose on the table were his mask had been. The note said;

_Christine,_

_Thanks for staying last night. There should be tea in the kitchen. As you know, there is no practice today so feel free to stay here, you know what is mine is yours. However, if you want to leave I took the liberty of getting some of your clothes for you. They are hanging by the mirror. I will see you later tonight._

_Your Angel. _

I have found it fascinating over the past few months that he is the most feared man or phantom in a ten mile radius but he leaves me notes about tea and clothes, like a normal man, like a normal human. I get up and find his cloak in its normal spot, hanging next to my clothes and in a moment of confidence I put that on instead. It smells of him, like tea, roses, and something that is uniquely him. I wrapped it tighter around me and made set off to find the tea he spoke of. I spent most of the day in his vast library and that is were he found me that evening. Curled into one of his large wingback chairs near the fire, still wrapped in his cloak with a my face in a book. I didn't hear him come in but the deep chuckle that would send a chill down any other person's spine only made me smile and set my book down. There was amusement in his eyes and a slight smile playing on the side of his lips that were not hidden by his mask. I had a sudden urge to kiss him, but knowing that he wasn't expecting that kind of contact I stayed still.

"I see you made yourself at home."

"I am sorry, I didn't think you would mind, your note..." His laugh made me stop mid sentence and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. The Phantom of the Opera was joking with me. I wicked smile found its place on my face and in another moment of confidence I did get up and kiss him. Nothing overly passionate just a slight touch of our lips. His sharp intake of air was a clear sign that even after all this time it still amazes him that I want him. I came to realize early in our relationship that I could not simply spring kisses on him, he was starting to get used to someone wanting him in that way but he still had a long way to go. After he took a moment to collect himself he pulled me into a tight hug. He loved to hug me, he told me one night that if had to chose one thing to do for the rest of his life it would be to simply wrap his arms around me. He hand buried itself into my hair while the other arm wrapped itself around my shoulders. I wrapped my arms around his chest and laid my head on his shoulder. I must admit that being wrapped in his arms is the one place I feel whole and loved beyond anything else in the world.

* * *

Later that evening after a small supper we found ourselves once again in front of the fire. He was sitting at his piano playing softly and I was back in what I was starting to consider _my_ wing backed chair. He must have noticed that I was starting to fall asleep because suddenly he was standing before me, picking me up in his arms and carrying me to bed. He gently laid me down and in my state of half asleep, half awake I watched him get ready for bed, for the first time. I was normally completely out of it by the time he laid down or he was already in bed. First he removed his jacket and vest and hung them up in their normal place. Then he unbuttoned his shirt and hung it up with the vest and jacket. I realized then he must have thought I was completely asleep, he normally wouldn't allow me to see his body, unclothed. Sure, we've slept in the same bed but he wouldn't allow me or himself to take our relationship any further without properly being married. He said, and I quote "You wish to be with this demon but I will not allow you to ruin your soul by having sex with me while you are still a Daae, when the time comes I shall marry you." and then he pushed me out the door rambling about practice and music. That was a month ago and we haven't talked about it since. I wear his ring but we haven't set a date or anything. I personally think he is afraid of my reaction to the scars and if we are married then I won't be able to easily walk away. As he turned towards the mirror the candle light caught the shadows of the scars on his back. There were many, all varying in horridness. He moved to sit and take off his boots and I had a clear view of his chest. This too was covered in just as many scars as his back, if not more and the longer I looked I started to see them on his upper arms as well. No wonder he only rolled his sleeves to his elbows, and that was rare. Lyrics I sung to him long ago played through my mind, _Pitiful creature of darkness, What kind of life have you known? _At this point he had his boots removed and only took one sock off. His right sock. He left his dress pants on and moved towards the bed, removing his mask and wing once he reached the table. He climbed in under the blanket but did not make a move to pull me against him. A cold tension started to fill the room, not an uncomfortable tension but cold none the less. His soft voice filled the darkness.

"I know you are awake." His voice was tight.

"How?" I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"Your sudden intake of breath was the first sign but also you were staring, pretty obviously and at that point I figured you might as well see this poor excuse for a body, this repulsive carcass, before you vow to stay with me forever. To fully understand what you are choosing. You may leave if you wish, I won't hold it against you to be disgusted by my body...it isn't anything pretty." His voice broke at the end and I realized he was crying. I wasted no time in rolling onto my side and moving to the point that I was snuggled tightly against his tense side, my head on his shoulder, my left hand laying atop his heart. He started to pull away but I simply put more pressure on his chest. He stopped moving and I felt his body go slack. "I love you. That includes every single scar on your body. You can not disgust me in anyway." My voice sounded a lot stronger then I felt. By this point I was half laying across him. I had moved my left hand to the mangled side of his face. In the soft candle light I could see the tears falling from his closed eyes. I softly kissed each scar on his face and then his eyes and last the tears on his cheeks. "If only you could see yourself the way I do, you would understand that I do not see the monster you think you are, but the man underneath. I see you with my heart, not my eyes." He let out a choked sob at this and wrapped his arms around me, clutching me to his chest as if I was his only lifeline. His tears stopped after a while and I heard him whisper thank you. I nodded against his chest but then I remembered something and sat up. He curiously opened one eye at me. "Why do you only wear one sock to bed?" His laughter warmed the room and chased the tension away. He smiled and softly caressed my face. "If I told you all my secrets now there would be no mystery, if you haven't figured it out in a week I will indulge you." With that he shut his eye and once again pulled me to his chest. I sighed and made myself comfortable and slowly started to believe for a phantom he truly was quite human.

* * *

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